Machine for decurling labels



INVENTOR. MCI/10M A.

BY WMQZQAQ ATTORN EYS H. A. GONIIA MACHINE FOR DECURLING LABELS FiledJune 28, 1946 Nova 28, 1950 Patented Nov. 28, 1950 MACHINE FOR DECURLINGLABELS Harold A. Gonia, Canajoharie, N. Y., assignor to Beech-NutPacking Company, Canajoharie, N. Y., a corporation of NewYorkApplication June 28, 1946, Serial No. 680,235

1 Claim. 1

Paper labels for packages of stick chewing gum and other small packageshave a tendency to flex or curl in one direction after printing, and ithas been a serious problem to flatten or decurl the labels in order thatthey may be properly acted upon by the feeding and other labelengagingdevices of the machines that are employed to apply the labels about thepackages.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a machinewhich is simple in construction and eflicient in operation forflattening or decurling labels of the kind described.

The invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure l is a side view, partly diagrammatical, of my improved machinein its preferred form; and

Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional views, partly in elevation, takensubstantially on the lines 2-2 and 33 of Fig. 1, respectively.

The machine illustrated in the drawings comprises a conveyor belt 2which passes over pulleys 4 and that are mounted to turn in bearings onthe machine frame 5, the rear pulley being driven so as to drive thebelt in the direction of the arrows.

The forward portion of the upper stretch of the conveyor belt 2 isinclined upwardly from the front pulley 4 and passes between rollers 6and 8. in standards It] on the machine frame, and the roller 8 isjournaled in bearings in blocks 12 which are mounted to slide inguideways in the standards ill. The roller 8 is pressed downwardly bymeans of coiled springs 14 which are interposed between the top sides ofthe blocks l2 and bracket members l6 secured to the machine frame. Fromthe rollers 6 and 8 the conveyor belt is inclined downwardly andrearwardly and passes over a guiding roller I8 which is journaled inbearings in bracket members which are secured by bolts to the machineframe, one of the bolts being shown at 22. Upon loosening the bolts, theroller 3 maybe adjusted about the axes of the bolts.

From the guide roll [8 the upper stretch of the belt passes downwardlybeneath a roller 24, the ends of which are journaled in bearings inblocks 26 that are mounted to slide in guideways in the machine frame,the two blocks 26 being connected by a, cross-bar 28. The roller 24 ispressed downwardly by means of coiled springs 30, the upper ends ofwhich are secured to the blocks 26 and the lower ends of which aresecured to lugs on collars 32. Screws 34 are screw- The roller 6 isjournaled in bearings threaded through the collars 32 and their upperends are mounted to turn in sockets 36 in the machine frame 5. Byturning the screws 34 the pressure of the roll 24 against the belt maybe varied as desired.

From the pressure roller '24 the belt passes over a guide roller 38which is journaled in bearings on standards 46, each of which is securedto the machine frame by a bolt 42. Upon. loosening the bolts 42 theguide roll 38 may be adjusted about the axes of the bolts.

It will be noted that by adjusting the rolls 3 and 38 about the axes ofthe bolts 22 and 42, and by adjusting the tension of the pressure roll24 the angular relation of the stretches of the belt extending betweenthe pressure roller 24 and the guide rolls l8 and 38 may be varied asdesired.

The labels 43 conveyed by the conveyor belt 2 are guided between thepressure roll 24 and the belt by means of guides 44, the forward ends ofthe guides extending in proximity to the bite of the pressure roll 24 onthe belt 2. The other ends of the guides 44 are secured to a bracket Asthe labels leave the pressure roll 24 they are guided by means of one ormore guide strips 48, so as to prevent them from being thrown from thebelt when the belt is driven :at high speed.

At the front of the machine there is a hopper or chute 50 through whichlabels may be delivered to the conveyor belt, and at the rear of themachine there is a table 52 for receiving the labels as they leave therear end of the conveyor belt.

In the operation of the machine, the flexed or curled labels aresupplied to the hopper and conveyor belt in a direction transverse ofthe curl in the labels and with the convex side of the labels uppermost.As the labels slide down the hopper 58 and into engagement with theconveyor belt they are carried by the conveyor belt between the rollers6 and 8. It is unnecessary for the labels to pass separately between therollers 6 and 8, and a number of them may pass between these rollers atthe same time in more or less overlapping or shingled relation. Therollers 6 and 8 apply pressure to the labels which tends more or less totemporarily smooth or straighten them.

After leaving the rollers 6 and 8 the labels are conveyed by the beltover the guide roller [8, beneath the lower end of the guide strips 44,and beneath the ressure roller 24. As they pass beneath this pressureroller, they are firmly pressed against the conveyor belt, and as theyleave the pressure roller and pass beneath the guides 48 and over theguide roller 38, they are flexed in more or less U-form in the oppositedirection in which they were flexed or curled when they were initiallysupplied to the machine. From the guide roller 38 the labels pass overthe end of the conveyor belt and are deposited upon the receiving table52.

It has been found that with this construction,

by varying the pressure of the pressure roller 24 and adjusting therelative positions of the rollers I8 and 38 so as to vary the degree offlexing of the labels as they pass beneath the pressure roller 24, thedesired flattening or decurling of the labels may be effected and thelabels delivered to the receiving table 52 in uniformly flattenedcondition irrespective of the curled condition of the labels initiallysuppliedto the machine. I have found that the labels acted upon retaintheir flattened or decurled condition while in storage and untilsupplied to the wrapping machines.

It will be apparent that the machine is simple in construction, easilyadjusted, and capable of a high rate of production.

As will be evident to those skilled in the art, my invention permitsvarious modifications without departing from the spirit thereof or thescope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

In a machine for decurling labels of the class described, an endlessconveyor belt for the labels, means for driving the belt comprisingpulleys over which the belt passes, guide rollers engaging the undersideof one of the stretches of the belt, said guide rollers being spacedapart, a pressure roller spaced a distance below the level of the guiderollers and engaging the top side of said stretch of the beltintermediate said guide rollers, means for guiding labels carried by thebelt so as to cause them to pass between the pressure roller and thebelt, a support for the pressure roller having bearings in which theends of the pressure roller are journaled, said support being mountedfor vertical movement, means comprising springs connected with thesupport for yieldingly pressing said pressure roller downwardly to applypressure to the labels as they pass between it and the belt, and meansfor adjusting the tension of said springs.

' HAROLD A. GONIA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,691,023 Dye Nov. 8, 19281,880,451 Hopkins Oct. 4, 1932 2,339,070 Hayes Jan. 11, 1944

